Water deliveries may end mid-August or sooner, with August availability unknown until the July meeting. Staff discussed a new Tier 2 Class 2 offering of at least 2,745 acre-feet at about $165 per AF (vs. ~$25/AF Tier 1) and said FID may buy it to build a buffer if others decline. Southern Sierra snowpack is ~15% of normal; heat may raise demand.
Water season is underway with projections pointing to a late-July shutoff (August extension unlikely) as May 1 snowpack is ~22% of the April 1 average. The board approved a 5-year, 2,100 AF/yr water sale to Hills Valley at $850/AF (~$1.4M/yr). Staff said waiting until Apr. 1 could have triggered ~12,000 AF of FID spill.
March 2026 had zero precipitation — the driest in 104 years — leaving Southern Sierra snowpack near 25% of the April 1 average. Staff modeled a 65% April–July runoff scenario and warned late-summer entitlements could be very small. FID storage is in the upper 130,000 acre-foot range with supply projected through July. Grower meetings are scheduled April 22, 23, and 29 to discuss the season outlook.
The district imported 11,250 acre-feet of Class II water in January before that run ended February 3rd. Current snowpack at 51% of April 1 average raises the risk of a shortened 3-month delivery season starting in April or May instead of March if no additional precipitation. Invasive golden mussels detected in the Friant-Kern Canal may prompt added monitoring or restrictions on FID's pump-back operations between Kings River and Friant Canal systems.
The North Kings GSA extended its well registration deadline to January 30, 2026, with a $100 late fee taking effect February 1 after successful registration of over 5,800 wells. Snow water content is only about 9% of average in the southern Sierra despite recent storms, which brought rain instead of snowpack. FID is advancing infrastructure work including pipeline replacements, canal lining, and new monitoring wells during the dry period.
